Where to begin?

May 21st, 2011, 12:44 AM

I am considering joining the ARNG as a JAG Officer. I work for the State as an attorney now, and I have a lot of autonomy with my own case load. How do I break it to my boss that I want to join, and what usually happens when work has to figure out what to do without an attorney for 18 weeks while i'm at training? Basically...where should I begin??

Give him a copy of your training reservations. Or if you think your boss will be nice about it, then tell him ahead of time. I am guessing the SA has had some experience with dealing with reservists and Guardspeople, I wouldn't worry about it. Do what you feel is right, if you think giving him 2 months notice is fair to get a fill in for you then do that, or if you think a 2 day notice is cool and you're fine with putting a target on your head then do that. You work for the state, government office's are pretty good about military stuff.

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Work the words "JAG" and "military reservist" into a normal conversation with your boss and get a feel, for his feelings on those topics. Then take it from there. You are not obligated on telling him you are thinking about joining.

Also, get all the joining stuff rolling first. No need to stir the pot at your civilian job just to find out the military wont take you because you have three arms, or one toe. Do the physicals, interviews, and all the leg work first.

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If you work for the state, it's usually no big deal. Some states even have nifty HR policies/laws regarding how you get paid. Florida, for instance, gives its employees 30 days of paid leave every time they get placed on active duty. For a National Guard Judge Advocate, that means you can collect double pay for two months of your training (30 days for Judge Advocate Officer Basic Course, 30 days for the Direct Commission Course).

As for how your office handles your absence, that is a bit of a mess. All my cases got dumped on the new guy, who now wants my head on a platter. The boss was just happy to have me back when I returned, though. Plus, he knows that I won't get put on active duty for that long ever again unless and until I'm sent off to war. And if/when that happens, he'll be telling everybody that one of his employees is deployed to defend the freedom of the American people, and isn't that awesome, and shouldn't you hire the firm that defends America?